Mathison Museum of Natural History

Wow that Jacobs sheep is such a good model!

Thanks Jill, yes it is.


Next up:


Species: Dorcus grandis Didier, 1926

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 4.4 cm for a scale of 1:1.9 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen D. grandis in the Museum. The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing 65-75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see the overview by forum member Beetle guy here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Tropical broadleaf forest
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are three subspecies of D. grandis: the nominate D. g. grandis (Laos, Vietnam, China), D. g. formosanus (Taiwan), and D. g. moriyai (Myanmar, India). Dorcus grandis and its subspecies are sometimes considered subspecies of D. hopei.

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Species: Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): blue swimmer crab; flower crab; blue crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1; Yowies UK Series 1
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Carapace width of Australian Yowie approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.6-1:5. Carapace width of UK Yowie approximately 3.2 cm for a scale of 1:4.5-1:5.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen P. pelagicus in the Museum, and the second time in less than a week! The figure on the left was produced by Cadbury for the Australian Yowes collection in 1997; assembly is required and the base of the claw arms are articulated. The figure on the right was produced by Cadbury for the UK Yowies collection, also in 1997; it is a solid piece of PVC.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, estuaries; usually in the intertidal zone at depths of 0-65 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Portunus pelagicus is a common commercial species throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where it is sold for both traditional hard shells or soft-shelled crabs, the latter of which are considered a delicacy throughout Asia.

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Nice crabs again

Species: †Douvilleiceras sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 4
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Shell diameter approximately 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.5-1:5.8 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. The scale above is based on an average range for D. mammillatum.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle-Late Cretaceous (Barremian-Cenomanian); probably worldwide in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine, pelagic to benthopelagic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on other invertebrates and small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Douvilleiceras was one of the most widespread genera of ammonites. At least 12 species have been described and their fossils have been found throughout the Americas and parts of the Caribbean (Dominican Republic), Africa (including Madagascar), Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and Japan.

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bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): blue swimmer crab; flower crab; blue crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Enoshima Aquarium
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.5 cm in diameter. Carapace width 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:4.8-1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. pelagicus in the Museum. The crab is removable from its base. I cannot remember how much, if any, assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, estuaries; usually in the intertidal zone at depths of 0-65 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Portunus pelagicus usually spends the day buried in the sand or mud. At night, they come out to feed on bivalves, fish, and algae. They are very good swimmers and cannot survive long periods of time out of water.

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Blaine I can't find from which Enoshima set this crab come from ?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - it came from this one: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It may have been released in multiple aquariums. Mine is specifically marked Enoshima Aquarium on the backside of the base.

bmathison1972 wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - it came from this one: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It may have been released in multiple aquariums. Mine is specifically marked Enoshima Aquarium on the backside of the base.

Thank you Blaine

Species: Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1837)
Common name(s): whitetip reef shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 12.0 cm for a scale of 1:13.3-1:17.75
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I am unsure of any other standard-sized toys or figures of this species. The only other figure I am aware of is a bottlecap figure by Kaiyodo for their Capsule Aquarium line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread in coastal tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Habitat: Coral reefs; at depths of 0-330 meters (usually 8-40 meters)
Diet: Benthic marine invertebrates, bony fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Triaenodon obesus is rather docile during the day, but can become very aggressive at night when searching for food. It will sometimes work with small groups of other sharks, but usually hunts alone. With its slender body, T. obesus is capable of wriggling into narrow crevices and holes in reefs, giving it access to prey that would otherwise be inaccessible to other sharks. Common prey include crabs, spiny lobsters, octopi, and several species of bony fish, including damselfish (Pomacentridae), parrotfish (Scaridae), surgeonfish (Acanthuridae), goatfish (Mullidae), triggerfish (Balistidae), squirrelfish (Holocentridae), and eels (Anguilliformes).

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Lovely shark

Species: Polistes rothneyi Cameron, 1900

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Insects of Japan Series 2
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Total display height 6.0 cm. Body length difficult to calculate but comes to approximately 2.3 cm, within scale 1:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Assembly is required and the wasp is removable from its nest, although it leaves small pegs under a couple of its tarsi. Figures in the Insects of Japan series are believed to be cast from actual specimens and are all in the 1:1 scale range.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central, East, and Southeast Asia; from India, Pakistan, and Nepal to Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), China, and Japan
Habitat: Woodlands, forest edges, suburban parks and gardens
Diet: Larvae are fed insects provisioned by the adults; adults feed on nectar and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Polistes rothneyi uses a wide spectrum of prey for provisioning their nests throughout its range. In one study in South Korea, 65 species of insects were recovered from P. rothneyi nests. Lepidoptera was the most prevalent with 47 of the species, the majority of which were from the families Noctuidae and Geometridae. Other orders included Diptera (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Syrphidae), Coleoptera (Chrysomelidae), Hemiptera (Cicadellidae, Cicadidae), Orthoptera (Tettigoniidae, Acrididae), Phasmida, Mantodea, and even other Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Argidae).

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Species: Colibri coruscans (Lesson, 1839)
Common name(s): sparkling violetear

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: Great Mysterious Amazon
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Maximum width of base 4.0 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but body length approximately 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was not marketed at the species level and the identification is my own. In my opinion, the figure itself is unidentifiable, but the accompanying card shows a photograph of what appears to be an immature male of a violetear in the genus Colibri (see inset), with C. coruscans being the best example morphologically and given its range in South America (although the species doesn't occur in the Amazon Basin). The best option for Colibri in the Amazon region would be the brown violetear (C. delphinae), but that species lacks green. I initially had this databased as an immature male blue-tailed emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus), but in spending the better part of this morning re-researching a possible identity, I have come to reconsider that ID. I've contemplated removing this figure from my collection, due to its ambiguity, but hummingbird figures are so rare to begin with, at least from major companies.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern and western South America, primarily in the Andes, Venezuelan Coastal Range, and the Tepuis
Habitat: Subtropical and temperate forest, woodlands, gardens, city parks
Diet: Nectar, small insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Colibri coruscans is extremely territorial and very vocal, declaring their territory by repeating their favorite song throughout much of the day. Family groups will often develop their own vocalizations.

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Contrarily to other groups of birds, hummingbirds do not have a specially famous species. Maybe the best known is Ruby-throated Hummingbird but is this one a remarkable and known species as an emperor penguin, a mallard duck or a bald eagle? Hummingbirds are still (generic) hummingbirds for most of the toy figure makers.

Whatever it is, it is a beautiful figure. I have one too and although it doesn't fit in my collection at all (scalewise) and it is unfortunate that it isn't a species-specific model, I just enjoy the wonderful sculpt. The combination of a hovering bird with a flower makes it special to me. Does anyone have any idea what the flower might be?

Species: †Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864
Common name(s): Neanderthal

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Height approximately 10.0 cm for an average scale of 1:16.8 for an adult male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The Neanderthal is the go-to species of 'caveman' to be produced in toy form. Bullyland alone made at least six other versions in addition to today's, and they have also been produced by Safari Ltd. multiple times and CollectA twice.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle-Late Pleistocene of Europe and western Asia
Habitat: Highly variable, including temperate woodlands, cold steppes, and coastal areas
Diet: Varied based on location but generally non-discriminant omnivore, including large and small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, shellfish, fungi, and plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Homo neanderthalensis was one of the more technologically sophisticated hominids to pre-date modern H. sapiens. Neanderthals are responsible for the Mousterian stone-tool industry and produced beech tar, and were able to construct spears and other weapons for hunting with stone. They sometimes lived in simple structures and stored food. Neanderthals could control fire and engaged in several cooking techniques, including roasting, boiling, and possibly smoking. They wore simple clothing and are believed to have had the ability to weave. They used ochre and may have worn jewelry, such as pendants. It is believed Neanderthals were capable of making simple reed boats and sailed in parts of the Mediterranean. Neanderthals probably had a simple spoken language, but not written language. On at least some occasions, Neanderthals buried their dead, but it is unknown if it is related to specific cultural or even religious practices. The ultimate cause of the extinction of the Neanderthals is still unknown, and although they were replaced by H. sapiens during the late Pleistocene, there is genetic evidence that there was at least some interbreeding between the two species.

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I love this model!

The more we learn about Neanderthals, the more we realise how similar they were to us.

Species: Citheronia regalis (Fabricius, 1793)
Common name(s): regal moth; royal walnut moth; hickory horned devil

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleo-Creatures
Series: Amazing Moths
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Wingspan 9.5 cm, for a scale of 1:1-1:1.6; within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This moth was made by forum member Jetoar for Paleo-Creatures. Amazing Moths was a short-lived line that lasted approximately 2015-2016.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern United States
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on the leaves of a variety of trees and other plants, including Carya (hickory, pecan), Jugulans (walnut), Liquidambar (American sweetgum), Diospyros (American persimmon), Rhus (sumac), Acer (sycamore), and Gossypium (wild cotton); adults do not feed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other saturniid moths, females attract males with the use of pheromones. Females don't stray too far from their pupation sites, but males will fly for miles to reach a potential mate. Males have specially adapted plumose antennae for detecting the pheromones.

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